-
1853: the black ships open Japan
In 1853 a fleet of American warships went to Japan. The Japanese called them the "black ships", and the Japanese were threatened by them. The Japanese signed a treaty to trade with the Americans. -
1860s: Japan-a strong and independent nation
Japan's slogan during this time of a new emperor was "rich country, strong military". With a 15 year old emperor Japan went a long way in achieving those goals. The new Japan understood that being a strong and prosperous nation was the only way to preserve its independence and unique culture. -
1898: America becomes a pacific power
Until the late nineteenth century, very few Americans cared about creating an overseas empire. As a democratic nation that began as a group of colonies, the U.S. felt that it could make do with the rich land and resources within its borders. It wasn't until the late 1800s that influential Americans began to argue that the U.S. should follow the example of Britain, France, and other European nations in gaining colonies overseas. -
1929: The Great Depression
The 1929 New York Stock Exchange crash and the failure of important European banks plunged the entire world into an economic depression. Japan was hit especially hard. With practically no natural resources, the nation had to import oil, iron, steel, and other commodities to keep its industry and military forces alive. But to buy these things, it had to export goods for sale abroad. -
1937: China in flames
In 1937, China and Japan went to war. Although Chinese forces resisted, Japan advanced farther and farther into China. The conflict brought great suffering to the Chinese people. In December, Japanese troops captured the city of Nanking (Nanjing). In the month that followed, they massacred as many as 300,000 Chinese civilians. Photographs of the death and destruction in Nanking caused worldwide anger against Japan. -
1940: The tripartite pact
Japan responded to America's actions by joining Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy in the Tripartite (three-part) Pact. In this agreement, the two European dictators approved Japan's goal for an Asian empire. The three countries pledged to support one another if any one of them was attacked by the U.S -
1941: War winning
In late 1941 Japanese army general Hideki Tojo became the nation's prime minister. A determined leader, Tojo was not afraid to challenge Britain and the U.S. for power in East Asia. The Tojo government leaned toward the navy's approach. Japan began planning for surprise attacks all across the Pacific -- from Hong Kong to Hawaii.
Attacking Pearl Harbor was one of the riskiest operations in military history -
Dec 7, 1941: The day of infamy
The U.S. was now aware that Japan might strike somewhere in the Pacific, but a warning did not reach Pearl Harbor until nearly 8:00 a.m., Hawaii time. By then, Nomura and Kurusu were in Secretary Hull's office, and Japanese bombs were falling onto the neat lines of U.S. warships in Pearl Harbor's "Battleship Row."
